The invention relates generally to welding systems, and, more particularly, to systems and methods for selecting a welding process.
Welding is a process that has become increasingly prevalent in various industries and applications. Such processes may be automated in certain contexts, although a large number of applications continue to exist for manual welding applications. In both cases, such welding applications rely on a variety of types of equipment to ensure that the supply of welding consumables (e.g., wire, shielding gas, etc.) is provided to the weld in an appropriate amount at the desired time. For example, metal inert gas (MIG) welding typically relies on a wire feeder to enable a welding wire to reach a welding torch. The wire is continuously fed during welding to provide filler metal. A power source ensures that arc heating is available to melt the filler metal and the underlying base metal.
In certain applications, a welding operator may switch between a wire process mode (e.g., flux-cored arc welding (FCAW) with or without gas, MIG welding, etc.) and a non-wire process mode (e.g., stick welding, tungsten inert gas (TIG) welding, etc.). To switch between the wire and non-wire process modes, the welding operator may connect and/or disconnect a wire feeder from being coupled to the welding power supply. When switching between wire and non-wire process modes, it may be difficult for the welding operator to properly select the correct process mode. For example, the welding operator may not be physically located near the welding power supply and/or the welding operator may not know whether welding cables are connected to the welding power supply for direct current electrode negative (DCEN) or for direct current electrode positive (DCEP).